Cleaning device for winding machines and the like



J. 24, 1939 G. B. M CALLUM 2,144,757

CLEANING DEVICE FOR WINDING MACHINES AND THE LINE Filed Juhe 14, 1938 m 0 M 4 S w n R N +R O m .w W A n 0 6, V1 B Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES CLEANING DEVICE FOR WINDING MACHINES AND THE LIKE George B. McCallum, Northampton, Mass.

Application June 14, 1938, Serial No. 213,648

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a device for cleaning threads or yarns such for example as the silk threads used in the manufacture of hosiery.

Various arrangements of cleaning brushes and 5 slotted members have been proposed, as well as blowers and suction devices, but as far as I am aware none of these has been satisfactory in actual practice, particularly for threads running at high speed. The purpose of these devices is to remove from the thread lint, dust, and other foreign particles which collect on the thread. The usual practice of passing the thread through slotted members causes the lint, dust, etc., to collect at the mouth of the slot, from which it is supposed to be removed periodically by an attendant, but at irregular intervals the accumulation of foreign material or a part thereof will pass through the slot opening before removal and will be wound up on the spool. These accumulations later appearing in the finished product cause serious defects. It has been customary in the past to employ blowers in an effort to keep the thread free of lint and dust, but such devices by scattering the lint and dust contaminates the air and the scattered material eventually settles on the yarn or thread at other points. It has also been proposed to install suction devices at various points in an attempt to remove the lint and dust from the air before it reaches the thread; but

.30 such devices are only partially successful, due

partially to the fact that at least some of the lint is borne by the thread and not by the air, and

they involve a substantial operating expense in maintaining the vacuum over the relatively large areas necessarily covered if the system is to be even appreciably effective.

The usual apertured and slotted members are in themselves reasonably effective in collecting the lint and dust but periodic passage of the accumulations through these members previously mentioned very materially decreases their utility in practice. In an effort to overcome this, one proposal has been to make the slotted member rigid and with sharp edges so that the thread is cut or broken when an accumulation enters the slot but the necessity of tying the broken thread is objectionable. It has also been proposed to apply a suction member at a point beyond the slotted or other cleaner member for the purpose 50 of attempting to remove the accumulations after they have passed the slot. The presence of these accumulations, however, shows that they have alvacuum, unless prohibitively high, is ineffective to dislodge them as they dart by.

It is the object of my invention to provide a cleaning device which overcomes the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art devices and which is reliable and economical in operation.

I have found that by combining with a vacuum nozzle a suitably shaped arresting member, accumulations passing the cleaning slot can be effectively and economically removed from the thread. This arresting member may be one of the usual thread guides if the latter is of suitable shape.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of my invention,

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a device constructedaccording to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the arresting and the suction member looking in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2.

' Referring to the drawing, l0 designates a suitable frame member of the spooling machine to which the cleaning devices may be conveniently attached. A bracket H is secured as by screws l2 to member Hi. Bracket H supports a conventional porcelain thread guide M by which the thread is guided to a slotted cleaning plate 15 of any conventional type. Slotted member I5, which may be made up of one or more pieces, serves to collect the lint and dust from the thread, this material collecting at the point IS in the manner previously described. From the plate l5 the thread passes over a guide l'l, preferably of porcelain, which is of a form to act as an arresting or restraining member for the lint, and thence to the spool diagrammatically shown at 3. As shown, the member I! is provided with a thread receiving channel generatlly indicated at 20, the adjacent top surfaces being grooved as at 2| to receive the ends of a spring clip 22 by which the member is held to frame member ID. The bottom of member I l is formed with a rectangular notch or channel as at 23 to engage and seat on a corner of frame member l0. Spring clip 22 is secured in any suitable manner, not shown, to the frame member I0,

A suction nozzle 25 is supported adjacent member l! by a strap 25 secured to frame member ID and is connected by pipe 21 to any suitable source f suction, not shown.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the entrance and exit to channel 20 are flared, as indicated at 28 and 29, and the opening of nozzle 25, which is elongated, as by flattening the end portion of a circular pipe, is positioned closely adjacent the exit or discharge side of the channel. This arrangement of the suction nozzle is important and one satisfactory relation shown in the drawing is best indicated in Fig. 4. In the latter figure it will be seen that the floor 30 of channel 2D is curved in the planeof thread travel and that the orifice of the nozzle 25 overlies the thread, shown at it, over a zone including a portion in which the thread is in contact with the floor of the channel and a po'r'tionjust after. it has separated from the floor because of the curvature of the latter.

It is difficult to describe exactly whattakes place in the removal of the-.accumulationbythe suction nozzle. Apparently as an accumulation passes through the cleaning slot it is suddenly arrested or'at least materially checked as the floor of the member I! is encountered, and its hold on the thread is-inpartat least broken. At the same time the free ends of the lint pieces are drawn into the nozzle, further loosening the particles which make up the: accumulation. As the accumulation works along the channel more and more pieces are detached with a further disintegration of the accumulation, probably aided by an unwinding action asthe lint particles are drawn into the nozzle which tends to roll or partially rotate the thread or the accumulation or both. As the accumulation reaches the point Where the'thread leaves the'floor of the groove it is disintegrated toa degree that the remainingportion is easilyand completely removed by the suction. "I'heaboveis a slow motion description of what in fact takes place rapidly, and without perceptible pauseyin the advance of theaccumulation. Whatever the nature of the action which takes place, the'arrangement in practice has been surprisingly'efllcient in actual practice and has efiecteda very substantial saving by practically eliminatingthe loss of finished articles due to the presence in the product of lint and similar accumulations. The device is easily and cheaply installed on machines already equipped with conventional cleaning slots requiring atmost, in addition to the vacuum nozzle, the substitution'of a suitably shaped thread guide if the guide beyond the cleaning slot is not of a form to properly cooperate'with the suction nozzle as described. In other instances the shape of the suction orifice, or its location a guide member having a smooth, thread-supporting floor against which accumulations "of lint on the thread will be restrained, and a vacuum nozzle positioned adjacent the portion of thread supported by said floor, the 'nozzle-havingan effective extent including the point'where the thread leaves the guide.

' and a vacuum nozzle positioned closely adjacent 'the'restraining member to disrupt and remove from the thread accumulations of material passing through the first-named member as the movement of the accumulations is checked by the restraining member.

2.. A thread cleaning device for a thread winder which comprises in combination with a member for accumulating lint and other foreign material from the thread as the latter passes through the member, a restraining member spaced from the first-named member in the direction of thread travel and a vacuum nozzle positioned closely adjacent the restraining member at the discharge side thereof and acting on the thread while on and just after it leaves the surface of the restraining member, the vacuum nozzle being positioned to permit direct passage of the thread from it to the winder -'without the interposition of other guides upon "which lint might accumulate.

3. A thread cleaning device which comprises curved,

4. A thread cleaning device for a thread leaves the guide, theguide member and vacuum nozzle being so arranged with respect to the thread Winder -sage of the thread from the nozzle to the winder without interposition of other guides upon which lint might accumulate.

as to permit direct pas- GEORGE B. MCCALLUM. 

